Sen. Gary Forby

Amends the Illinois Housing Development Act. Authorizes the Illinois Housing Development Authority to develop and implement a program of financial assistance to recently hired Illinois teachers purchasing their first primary residence. Limits the program to teachers employed by school districts defined by the State Board of Education as financially needy or experiencing a teacher shortage. Limits eligibility to public school teachers with no more than 2 years of employment as teachers who commit to teach in their school district for at least 3 years after their closing date. Effective July 1, 2003.

Amends the Illinois Vehicle Code. Makes technical changes in a Section concerning the administration of the Code.

Amends the State Aid Continuing Appropriation Law. Makes the Law applicable to fiscal year 2004 and each fiscal year thereafter. Provides that if the General Assembly fails to make Common School Fund appropriations to the State Board of Education in fiscal year 2004 and in each fiscal year thereafter sufficient to fund the general State aid, supplemental general State aid, and supplementary grants in aid provisions of the State aid formula, the Law shall constitute an irrevocable and continuing appropriation from the Common School Fund of all amounts necessary for those purposes. Removes a provision that provides for the Law's repeal on June 30, 2003. Effective immediately.

Amends the School Code. In provisions concerning general and supplemental State aid, removes language that provides that if the appropriation in any fiscal year for general State aid and supplemental general State aid is insufficient to pay the amounts required under the general State aid and supplemental general State aid calculations, then the State Board of Education shall ensure that each school district receives the full amount due for general State aid and the remainder of the appropriation shall be used for supplemental general State aid, which the State Board of Education shall calculate and pay to eligible districts on a prorated basis. Effective July 1, 2004.

Amends the Meat and Poultry Inspection Act. Makes a technical change in a Section concerning definitions.

Amends the Wildlife Code. Provides that the shotgun season for deer hunting each year must start on a Thursday and last, in the aggregate, at least 8 days. Effective immediately.

Creates the Displaced Building Service Workers Protection Act. Provides protections to building service employees who are regularly assigned to a covered building on a full or part-time basis for at least 90 days immediately preceding a transition in employment and who perform work in connection with the care or maintenance of an existing building. Provides that a successor building owner, manager, or contractor shall be required to offer employment to the predecessor employer's incumbent building service employees, subject to the existence of cause, for a period of 90 days following the transition at the affected building. Provides that at the end of the 90 day transition period, the successor employer perform written performance evaluations and offer continued employment to all covered building service employees who receive satisfactory ratings. Excludes from coverage employees who earn more than $25 per hour, work less than 6 hours per week, or serve in a managerial, supervisory, or confidential capacity. Exempts from coverage those successor employers who are already or agree to become bound by the terms of a collective bargaining agreement that includes provisions that address the discharge or lay off of building service employees. Exempts any predecessor employer that obtains a written commitment from a successor employer providing that the successor employer's building service employees will be covered by a collective bargaining agreement that addresses the discharge or layoff of employees. Effective immediately.

Amends the Recreational Trails of Illinois Act. With respect to the Off-Highway Vehicle Trails Fund, provides that at least 92% (now 60%) shall be allocated for motorized recreation and not more than 8% may be used for administration, enforcement, planning, and implementation costs. Effective immediately.

Mourns the death of Marine Lance Corporal Aaron Pickering of Harrisburg.

Mourns the death of Richard A. "Coconut" Neal of Benton.